Port of Newcastle considers options following court ruling

PORT of Newcastle chief executive Geoff Crowe has indicated an appeal to the highest court in the land is on the cards following an unsuccessful Federal Court appeal.

The Port went to the Federal Court in an effort to overturn an earlier ruling by the Australian Competition Council in relation to an access dispute with coal exporter Glencore.

Addressing a Shipping Australia lunch in Newcastle, Mr Crowe said “there is still recourse for us to consider”.

“There is an opportunity to appeal to the High Court which is a matter we are still considering – it is an option,” he said.

“But whilst that occurs, we are also involved in an arbitration process with the ACCC (and Glencore).”

Mr Crowe earlier gave a detailed presentation about the Port of Newcastle, including the opportunities not only for coal but also grain exports, cruise shipping and even the movement of turbines for wind energy.

He was also bullish about the proposed Inland Railway.

“Different people have spoken about Inland Rail and it has been talked about as being a threat. We’ve always adopted the view that it is actually an opportunity,” he said.

“We’ve already got connections at various points into the main line. With our connections in places like Moree and Narromine, we see it as an opportunity to actually take that to improve connectivity for upcountry into the court.”